Painted affirmations of TCMS school pride line the walls. Hot pink school schedules still hang from doorjambs inside empty classrooms.

“As sad as I am to see TCMS close its doors, BCC brings an exciting re-use and opportunity for our historic downtown,” said Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr. “Bristol Community College now has the opportunity to truly have a full time presence within Taunton’s borders.”

Most classrooms still have no desks. Surplus supplies will be trucked to the Silver City from stockpiles at the Fall River and New Bedford campuses.

A mural depicting a Biblical scene remains untouched on a basement wall.

The wood-furnished chapel and confessional are bare. College planners envision a private consultation room in the once sacred alcove.

Spiders have spun wispy webs connecting curtain hems to brick windowsills. A good dusting should clear away the cobwebs.

The building’s new occupants will benefit from the relatively short time the structure sat empty.

“This is a win for the college, our city and those looking to expand upon their education,” Hoye said. “I would like to thank Dr. John Sbrega for his vision and Sen. Marc Pacheco for his assistance in making BCC in Taunton a reality. I am thrilled to see this venture come to fruition.”

BCC licensed the building and grounds from the Diocese of Fall River for one year to establish a long-awaited presence in Taunton, according to John J. Sbrega, president of Bristol Community College.

“This is a valuable opportunity for BCC to better serve the Taunton area,” Sbrega said. “We look forward to becoming a permanent part of the city and to bring all the economic benefits of post-secondary education to Greater Taunton.”

BCC will vacate the rooms they currently occupy at the former Cohannet School, which also houses the city’s alternative high school, consolidating all Taunton courses and services at a single location.

“I was pleased to work with Bristol Community College President Dr. Jack Sbrega and the administration to help BCC establish one, central location in downtown Taunton that allows them to offer their services and courses under one roof,” said Pacheco, a Taunton Democrat. “This location will provide more opportunities for education and workforce training for students of all ages and backgrounds in the region, while offering more opportunities for partnerships with the college.”

City residents can start registering for courses immediately after Friday’s noon ribbon-cutting.

“I’d like to thank the Diocese of Fall River and the city of Taunton for their willingness to support BCC in their expansion,” Pacheco said. “I am pleased this location, which has a history of providing educational opportunities to students in the area, will continue its legacy as a destination for learning.”

BCC courses in Taunton have been growing for years. The school first offered classes at Taunton High School, and then the Benjamin Friedman Middle School.

Last year, the college began offering day classes at the Cohannet School (which had been previously converted to a courthouse, and then back to a school facility).

BCC has long offered adult basic education in the city, both days and evenings, in collaboration with Taunton public schools.

Sbrega said the Summer Street school has potential for a permanent home. The college has been working closely with the city and the local legislative delegation to expand services in Taunton, Sbrega added.

“Sen. Marc Pacheco is a great champion of education and the benefit a Taunton center will have for the city,” Sbrega said. “He has been helping us search for space that will address needs now and in the future … The superintendent of schools, Julie Hackett, has been a gracious host by allowing BCC to use public school facilities.”

Hackett echoed Sbrega’s remarks.

“We’ve had an excellent partnership with Bristol Community College, and I’m thrilled that BCC will remain in the city of Taunton,” she said. “BCC’s new central location … will put them in the heart of the city, and it will be so convenient for them to be under one roof.”

Hackett said BCC has been instrumental in helping city students continue their education past high school, and has also played a vital role for current THS students.

“For the past several years now, they’ve offered our high school students dual enrollment courses, and more students than ever before are now earning college credit while they are in high school,” Hackett said. “We’re looking forward to getting even more students on track for college and careers, and I am confident that our strong collaboration with BCC will continue.”

The future of BCC’s former residence is uncertain, though BCC’s move may mean more room to expand upon the city’s alternative high school.

“There isn’t a whole lot of additional space at Cohannet, but we get lots of requests from members of the public who are interested in securing square-footage in the building,” Hackett said. “Right now I think it makes sense for whatever we do with the space to be connected to our mission at the alternative high school, but ultimately it’s the School Committee’s decision. We plan to talk more about our vision for the alternative high school in the very near future, and I’m sure space utilization will be an important part of the conversation.”

BCC has combined the courses it planned to offer at Friedman and Cohannet, and will offer those and an expanded course list at its new location, which boasts 45,000 square feet of available space — 17 classrooms and three computer labs.

Classes begin Sept. 2.

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